HIPAA Compliance Resources

A HIPAA compliant hosting provider can help with the back-end infrastructure that includes servers, network security, data encryption and backups. However, there is much more to the HIPAA rule then just the data center infrastructure. It’s important to fully understand your organization’s rights and responsibilities as they pertain to privacy and security of protected health information (PHI). Fortunately, there are plenty of excellent online resources that can provide you with all of the information you need. Here are some sites I recommend for you to check out.

1. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has an excellent OCR website pertaining to HIPAA information. It has information on understanding HIPAA privacy for individuals as well as healthcare providers. There is a useful frequently asked questions section that can help you familiarize yourself with HIPAA rules concerning privacy and information security.

2. The American Medical Associationhas one of the best websites for general HIPAA information. Not only does their website provide information on privacy and security standards, risk analysis and HIPAA violations enforcement, it’s also regularly updated with HIPAA-related news.

3. The HIPAA Guideis a website that is all about HIPAA information. This website has some great resources for information on HIPAA-compliant hosting. It also approaches HIPAA compliance in terms of security guidelines for data storage and privacy guidelines for individuals separately, making it easy to navigate.

4. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website is full of general HIPAA information as well as privacy and security information directly related to Medicare and Medicaid. The site has useful resources on compliance deadlines, how to find out whether you qualify as a covered entity, and privacy and security standards. There’s also a useful list of other resources related to HIPAA.

I hope you find these sites useful as you work to ensure your organization’s overall HIPAA compliance. For more specific information on securely storing, accessing, or transferring electronic medical records please visit the HIPAA section of the blog or contact us.